Child dies after choking on milk at daycare centre in Melaka

The late Yusof and his father.

MELAKA: A four-month-old baby boy is believed to have died after choking on milk at a childcare centre here, Bernama reported.

Central Malacca district police chief ACP Afzanizar Ahmad said the victim Yusof Al-Baihakki Zainal Abidin was unconscious when he arrived at Hospital Melaka at 12.05pm Monday. 

He was pronounced dead 30 minutes later.

“Early police investigation found that at 8.30am, the babysitter fed the baby with milk and the child later fell asleep. 

"However, the baby was found to be unconscious when the babysitter tried to wake him up at 11.45am,” he told reporters.

He said the babysitter then sent the baby to the hospital and contacted the child’s mother.

The police chief said there is no injury on the baby’s body and police will investigate the case for sudden death pending the outcome of a post-mortem. 

The father of the baby, Zainal Abidin Deraman, 34, said his second child was brought to the hospital by the babysitter and he got to know about it from his wife, Roslina Ismail, 34, before rushing to the hospital.

Zainal Abidin, a police officer at Central Malacca district headquarters, said he had sent his child, who was in good health, to the childcare centre at 7am before heading to work.

He said his child was previously taken care of by his mother-in-law in Kota Baru, Kelantan, and that he had been sending his child to the daycare centre for only six days.

“Which father will not be sad in such a situation... We have waited for nearly eight years before being blessed with a second child,” he said.

However, Zainal Abidin said he is not blaming anyone and will let the authorities investigate the case.

He said the baby’s body will be brought to Kota Baru and will be buried after post-mortem.

In a space of three weeks, two babies died while under the care of their babysitters. Both were unregistered child minders who take care of children to supplement their income.

The first case was on July 3 when a 33-year-old woman was arrested after a five-month-old she was minding went missing. Police found the baby in a freezer at her house in Batu Caves.